The principal aim of this work was the development of a software capable to simulate, via deterministic modelling, the phenomenon of phase change observed in three-phase catalytic slurry reactors, that occurs in the reacting medium and in the refrigerant fluid. Intending to achieve a realistic representation of the system, a detailed dynamic model was formulated. The model was applied to describe the reactor dynamic behaviour during the hydrogenation of o-cresol on Ni/SiO2 catalyst. However, other reactions can easily be incorporated to the software due to the generality adopted during the development of the model. The model allowed to reproduce the main dynamic characteristics of the reactor, in face of several changes in operational parameters of the reactor, and the developed software allows the user to simulate different possibilities introduced in the model, with the aim of a better reproduction of chemical plant data. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All fights reserved.